The residents of Lake Seminole braved the cold last Saturday night to watch a parade of golf carts!

The fifth annual Wingate’s Golf Cart Christmas Parade began at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Wingate’s Lunker Lodge.

The parade is for the residents of the Lake Seminole area, to promote cheer and to help neighbors get to know one another.

Organizer of the parade and co-owner of Wingate’s, Gale Goodman, stated, “We had so many people out here who don’t know their neighbors. I was trying to find ways for them to get to know each other. We wanted to do something fun.”

In the past years, Goodman stated that they have had up to 60 entrants in the parade, but this year it had been postponed a week due to rain and many people were out of town.

Goodman said having the parade this close to Christmas meant a large loss of participants. This year’s parade only had seven entrants, but each were enthusiastic about participating.

Among the four golf carts were a pair of Honda motorcycles belonging to B.T. and Patsy Harrell.

Also there was a small trailer pulled by a four-wheeler, its lights powered by a small generator. The trailer, which belonged to Eddie and Myra Ditto, featured a lighted angel on top of a tall pole.

Mrs. Ditto said, “I just loved the idea. I wanted to top it with my angel.”

Also in the parade was a 1938 Chevrolet sedan driven by Bud Clements.

Most of the carts were decked out with Christmas lights in different colors and styles as well as signs reading “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” and one even had a small lighted Christmas tree perched on top.

Rhonda Diver was one of the few who was participating for the first time.

Diver was a native of Americus, Ga., and had moved with her husband to Seattle, Wash., only to wind up in Bainbridge in February this year.

Diver stated she was so thrilled to be back and participating in the parade with her five grandkids.

“I am a Georgia girl through and through. I’m not happy anywhere else.”

The parade tours a three-mile stretch around the neighborhoods of Lake Seminole circling around Cypress, Dogwood and Azalea drives.